Most asylum seekers have full work rights, which means there is no limitation to how much they can work and for how long. If their visas have ‘nil conditions’, this means there is no restriction on their right to work or study. For information on how to read visas and understand work rights.

A Bridging Visa is not a short-term visa. A Bridging Visa A duration is ‘indefinite’. The visa will only expire once the person has exhausted the avenues available to them to claim asylum. This can take several years in some cases.

Some Bridging Visa E with Work Rights expire after six months but the visa holder then applies for them to be renewed while their case is processed.

Also, it is worth remembering that many people who ask for protection are successful and receive a Permanent Visa.

Many asylum seekers speak good to excellent English. Some comes from countries where English is the language spoken at school and in public institutions, others are highly educated. English proficiency levels vary and are unrelated to whether someone is asking for asylum.

Asylum seekers living in the community in Victoria have access to government-subsidised places to study with VET providers. This is documented through the Service Agreement Notification 2012-14.

Practically, this means that they register with a VET provider as if they were a permanent resident with a Health Care Card. The referral paperwork provided by the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre is in lieu of a passport and Health Care Card.

Only asylum seekers referred by the ASRC come under this agreement. If someone presents to you without a referral from the ASRC, please contact us or tell them to contact us.

Asylum seeker with study rights are allowed to study at university. However, they are not eligible for HECS and if wanting to study at the tertiary level, come under the same regimen as internationals students.

All asylum seekers are ‘genuine’ as anyone is allowed to ask for asylum. There is no such thing as an ‘illegal’ asylum seeker.

Whether someone has a right to protection by Australia is a different issue. The decision made on someone’s refugee claim is a legal issue and is made by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship based on the strict criteria of the 1951 ‘Convention relating to the status of refugees’. Only the Department of Immigration and Citizenship can assess the ‘genuineness’ of someone’s claim.

No, many people arrive by plane and claim asylum once in Australia (‘onshore’). As long as they had papers on arrival, they do not go to detention and live in the community, generally with full work rights.

The Asylum Seeker Service for Employment and Training (ASSET) is the training and recruitment service of the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre. We believe asylum seekers are an asset to the Australian community.

ASSET empowers asylum seekers to contribute their skills, resilience and ingenuity to the Australian workplace. We work with employers and education providers to promote asylum seekers’ access to employment and training.